Opinions on using APC to clean leather??

[judyb]

I had put in an email to lexol and here is my question and their reply:

I have an auto detailing business and have used lexol conditioner for years. My question is that most leather is now COATED.......so is lexol conditioner really the right product to use? Does it penetrate into the leather beneathe the coating? Thanks!

Good morning,
Thank you for your inquiry on our Lexol Leather Care products.
You are correct, most manufacturers do “top-coat” the leather to protect it during processing. It’s like “scotch guard” for sofas.
Gradually that will wear off with continued use, getting in and out of the vehicle. You can do the water-drop test, to see if the coating is still on the leather, I would recommend after 3 to 4 months of a new vehicle. The leather should be protected until the top-coating comes off.
Our Lexol is formulated to absorb into the leather, to condition from the inside out. So applying Lexol will only sit on top of the leather and become sticky.

'Top coats' on leather are pigments and clear coat finishes - 'Scotchgard' type products are topical protectors and these are not applied during the manufacturing process. Topical applied protectors do wear off with use and need to be reapplied, they are used to protect the finishes on leather from dirt and abrassion. You cannot tell if a pigment coated (finished, protected, coated - these are all names for them) leather has had a topical protector applied which is why it is important to do the job yourself . On a coated leather (as in most cars) a water droplet test would sit on the surface anyway due to the finish (it would only soak in on very old and cracked leather).
Test to see if a topical protector works are done on crust leathers (absorbent) to prove that the product works or not.
'Conditioners' cannot be absorbed by the leather through a pigment and clear coat finish so never get anywhere near the leather itself and as Lexol say stay on the surface and get sticky which only serves to attract more dirt. Once the pigment and/or clear coat finish has broken down and begun to crack this needs restoration work and if you add more 'conditioners' (which generally contain oils and waxes) at this stage they will only further weaken the finish and loosen the pigment. Moisture is the only 'conditioner' that leather needs and pigment coated leather needs to be kept clean to avoid break down of pigment due to abrassion and dirt (which acts like a fine sandpaper) and this is best done with products that have been tested on leather and will not in any way affect the finish on the leather.
Lexol products were produced for saddles and work in a different way to products designed for furnishing and auto leathers.

Hope this helps

 

[Fly bye]

Then u are looking for facts...... Not opinions!!!

I think he would accept facts and opinions of possible side effects of using an APC on leather that he's unaware of.




Edit: If Mark was indeed looking only for facts, then why did you post

 

[Dr Oldz]

I think he would accept facts and opinions of possible side effects of using an APC on leather that he's unaware of.




Edit: If Mark was indeed looking only for facts, then why did you post

I initally misunderstood what he was asking(my bad Mark) Considering and I'm sure he read the label on OPC that says it IS safe for leather! Opinions can be misleading on certain issues....If I said I clean leather with gasoline and it works great for me....thats and opinion and certainly isn't what you want to do> Chris@Opt gave us the facts on his product! If I seemed like a ####, it wasn't my intention and I appoligize!

 

[WestEnd]

Are you including OPC as an APC?

I was originally, I use a dedicated leather only cleaner. But, it seems now re-reading Dr. G. it has been tested and proven. But, I will stick with my dedicated cleaners.

 

[rwright]

I was originally, I use a dedicated leather only cleaner. But, it seems now re-reading Dr. G. it has been tested and proven. But, I will stick with my dedicated cleaners.

So how do we really know whether or not these dedicated leather cleaners are some form of an APC? Think about it, I can have Optimum Power Clean diluted say 3:1, add a leather scent to it, pour it in a bottle with a label reading "Leather Cleaner", and now you are using my dedicated leather cleaner that's actually a form of an APC. It appears the marketing of these products have many of us fooled.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Even if I started the thread asking for facts, most of the answers would be opinions anyway. JubyB says APC's are not the best to use on leather, while Dr G. says his APC is perfectly safe to use on leather. So, which is a fact? It really comes down to who you want to believe, thus, I wanted different opinions. Make sense?

I initally misunderstood what he was asking(my bad Mark) Considering and I'm sure he read the label on OPC that says it IS safe for leather! Opinions can be misleading on certain issues....If I said I clean leather with gasoline and it works great for me....thats and opinion and certainly isn't what you want to do> Chris@Opt gave us the facts on his product! If I seemed like a ####, it wasn't my intention and I appoligize!

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[rwright]

And by the way Mark, great thread! :xyxthumbs: The fact that you were able to rope in not only 2 leather experts, but also a leading industry chemist really says a lot. rops: It's nice to have a thread with some depth to it. Thanks.

 

[Dr Oldz]

Even if I started the thread asking for facts, most of the answers would be opinions anyway. JubyB says APC's are not the best to use on leather, while Dr G. says his APC is perfectly safe to use on leather. So, which is a fact? It really comes down to who you want to believe, thus, I wanted different opinions.




Yup!! I quit!!! :xyxthumbs:

 

[buddhadog]

And by the way Mark, great thread! :xyxthumbs: The fact that you were able to rope in not only 2 leather experts, but also a leading industry chemist really says a lot. rops: It's nice to have a thread with some depth to it. Thanks.

DITTO Mark! :dblthumb2:

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Thanks guys! :dblthumb2: Threads like this are what it's all about.

I will continue to use OPC to clean leather and follow with LM protection cream.

 

[WestEnd]

So how do we really know whether or not these dedicated leather cleaners are some form of an APC? ...

This thread has created a lot of questions in my mind, it has been interesting. I too, think marketing has a powerful way of "swaying our beliefs."

I am torn with my decision now, there have been some very knowledgeable people post and it is great to read the debate. I am probably not going to switch my products, simply because I 'believe' they have provided good protection and performance for my needs. But, now I am far less willing to say the other non dedicated products are bad.

Good topic, Mark!!

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

That's the thing, we have 2 experts coming from different angles. I'm still torn, too.

This thread has created a lot of questions in my mind, it has been interesting. I too, think marketing has a powerful way of "swaying our beliefs."

I am torn with my decision now, there have been some very knowledgeable people post and it is great to read the debate. I am probably not going to switch my products, simply because I 'believe' they have provided good protection and performance for my needs. But, now I am far less willing to say the other non dedicated products are bad.

Good topic, Mark!!

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[buddhadog]

Im feeling a little lost myself as my faithful lexol is now now a question mark in my mind.

I will say this though ..I recently had a detailers car to detail (he used to detail years ago)and really the only thing he kept up with was cleaning and conditioning the leather and he used lexol too . It was a 14 year old lexus and the seats were practiclly pristine. They were a little grimmy but they cleaned right up and looked amazingly well for 14 years old . They were also incredibly soft. The coating did not look damaged or worn .

So lexol did do a pretty great job if you ask me . It was a well driven and used car too ,it was a family car .

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I think Lexol conditioner is terrible. :dunno:

 

[David Fermani]

Great thread! Especially when true knowledgeable Pros like DavidG, judyb & Roger can contribute. It gets no better and really should make people question both the process/products they’ve been accustomed to using as well as the thought process they’ve been forming. It’s amazing how many products are offered to us that really don’t do anything other that move the preservation of automotive leather in the wrong direction. Throughout the years I’ve totally updated my workflow towards treating and maintaining leather seating surfaces. My all time favorites are Optimum Power Clean, LeatherMasters & The Leather Doctor Strong Cleaner (which is a fantastic cleaner btw). I agree that there is no need for greasy conditioners that ultimately end up posing negative affects to the surface. Unfortunately, unlike paint that can be measured, the clear coating that is protecting the seats can’t and really requires both regular and delicate care. I don’t let seats gets soiled to the point that a heavy cleaning is required. Instead, I regularly wipe them with a damp towel during weekly washes in addition to bi-monthly protecting.

 

[buddhadog]

I think Lexol conditioner is terrible. :dunno:

Why is that Mark?

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Why is that Mark?

IME, it was very sticky and a real pain un the butt to apply



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[RaskyR1]

I found Lexol to make my seats squeaky and it added to much gloss.

 

[David Fermani]

I found Lexol to make my seats squeaky and it added to much gloss.

That's enough of a warning sign for me to not use it.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

I found Lexol to make my seats squeaky and it added to much gloss.

Same here... it also has a really greasy feel that doesn't seem to go away unless you re-clean the seats, which kinda defeats the purpose of conditioning.

Now, having said that, I do kind of like the Lexol pH cleaner. Works quite well IMHO, but I still usually reach for something like Leatherique cleaner instead.